This invention relates to a flexible stall divider for a free stall barn for use in the cattle industry.
In the dairy industry the cows are maintained in an intensive farming situation in barns for ease of handling.
In a tie stall or stanchion barn, the barn is designed with stalls to restrain the cow at a particular location at all times so that the cow can be milked, fed and otherwise attended to. In stalls of this type, the cow is carefully restrained so that it is maintained in proper position during the required processing. In addition, the cow can lie at the restrained position in the stall, but its head is maintained restrained so that it cannot move from side to side with the danger of becoming trapped.
As an alternative to the tie stall barn, more recent developments have moved toward free stall barn arrangement which is intended for defining resting areas for the animals while they are not feeding, being milked or other necessary steps. Generally a free stall barn of this type comprises an alley way along which the animals can move basically at their own volition from a separate milking parlor or from a feeding station provided in the free stall barn. From the alley way the animal can select one of a number of different resting sites or stalls which are defined within the barn on resting areas by stall dividers. The resting area is provided immediately adjacent the alley way and is raised from the alley way by a step. The resting area is thus separated from the alley way with the intention of the resting area being maintained in a clean condition free from excrement. The stall dividers are set out on the resting area so that from the alley way an elongate area is defined into which the animal can enter from the alley way with the dividers providing just sufficient room for the animal to get into the area and then lie down facing away from the alley way. A vertical wall is provided at a forward end of the stall area so as to confine the animal. The length of the stall is arranged so that it just receives the length of the animal with the rear end of the animal at or slightly beyond the step separating the resting area from the alley. In this way the animal is generally trained to ensure that excrement falls into the alley way rather than onto the resting area.
Conventionally the stall dividers comprise an elongate bar extending from the step between the resting area and the alley way to a position closely adjacent the front wall with the bar fixed at both ends on vertical posts attached to the floor of the resting area. These simple dividing members while generally satisfactory for dividing one stall from the next have a serious problem in that the animal can in some cases be come trapped under the rigid bar when trying to raise to standing position and this can cause injury or even death.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,392 (Andersen) discloses an alternative form of stall divider for use in this situation. Specifically in this design the front wall, instead of a plain vertical wall, consists of a number of vertical posts on which are supported a pair of horizontal rails. The stall divider comprises a U-shaped member which has the legs of the U-shape arranged in horizontal orientation with a forward end of each of the legs attached to a respective one of the horizontal rails. The base of the U-shape is free from connection to the ground so that the whole of the stall divider is cantilevered from the front rails. It is stated that this avoids the necessity of a support post adjacent the rear end of the stall since the rear end of the stall is more likely to receive excrement which can cause corrosion of any supporting posts. It is appreciated by Andersen that the animal can become trapped under the stall divider and for this purpose the patent provides that the U-shaped member can be readily removed from sleeve type couplings mounted on the horizontal rails.
However this device is generally unsatisfactory in that the danger of entrapping the animal as it tries to stand is significantly increased. While the animal may be quickly removed, it can before removal suffer serious injury and even die before the handler appreciates the problem. Cows tend to move forwardly as they stand from a lying position. The head of the animal is therefore pushed forwardly as it stands so that the horizontal rails and the horizontal legs of the divider member provide significant opportunity for the head of the animal to become entrapped.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,257 (Andersen) is closely related to the above patent and shows a similar construction.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,421,478 (Warmerdam) and 2,642,037 (Merrill) disclose stall dividers of a somewhat similar nature defined by fixed rails which again have the problem that the animal can become entrapped when trying to stand.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,294,366 (Louden), 2,601,323 (Norton) and 1,996,196 (Ferris) disclose stall divider constructions for use in a tie stall or stanchion barn in which the animal is intended to be retained in a standing position for feeding, milking or other operations, and when lying has its head remaining restrained so that it is prevented from becoming entrapped. In Louden the divider members are formed by arc shape rails which are coupled at the forward end to the stanchion but are to some extent free to pivot from side to side. It will be appreciated however that in this circumstance, the animal is intended to be maintained in the restraints at the forward end and hence there is little or no problem of the animal becoming entrapped when trying to stand. Similarly Ferris discloses a stanchion of the type described in which the dividers are supported in cantilever manner at the stanchion and can pivot about a vertical axis defined by a vertical post of the stanchion. In Norton a confining member in the shape of a horizontal loop is fastened to a vertical post of the stanchion to more effectively confine the shoulders of the animal and restrict side to side movement. In both of the above patents there is little or no possibility of the animal becoming entrapped due to the necessary restraints. However the construction is of a type which would cause a severe problem of entrapment should the animal wish to stand from a lying position while unrestrained as in a free stall barn.